CHAPTER 19
Acts 19:1-3 And it came to pass that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul, having passed through the upper regions, came to Ephesus; and finding certain disciples he said unto them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" They replied to him, "No, we did not even hear that there is a Holy Spirit." He said to them, "Into what then were you baptized?" They said, "Into John's baptism."
Knowing only John's baptism . It is worth asking how, if he knew only John's baptism, he nevertheless possessed the Spirit; for the Spirit was not given in that way. And if those who came after him needed the baptism of Christ, much more would he have needed it. What then is one to say? For he did not simply set both side by side. It seems, therefore, that he was one of the one hundred and twenty who were baptized after the apostles. [CHRYSOSTOM]
Acts 19:4-8 Paul said: John indeed baptized a baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Christ Jesus. When they heard, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them; they spoke in tongues and prophesied. They were all men, about twelve in number. Entering the synagogue, he spoke boldly, for three months conversing and persuading concerning the kingdom of God.
From John's baptism he prophesies, and he leads them to understand that this was John's baptism. From this point it is shown that John's baptism was incomplete. For he did not say that it was forgiveness, but that it was of repentance . Then, having been baptized into the name of the Lord , he says that by the laying on of Paul's hands they immediately receive the Spirit . But this he did not see; for it is invisible. Yet grace gave some perceptible proof of that operation. And one spoke in the Persian tongue, another in the Roman, another in the Indian, another in some other such language; he uttered speech. And this was revealed to those outside, that the Spirit was in the one who uttered, God showing that this is of the highest authority. [AMMONIUS]
Acts 19:9-10 When some became hardened and disobedient, criticizing the Way before the multitude, he withdrew from them and separated the disciples, conversing daily in the school of a certain tyrant. This continued for two years; so that all who dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks.
“ criticizing the way .” Either “ the Way ” means Christ, or it means the true faith. For this is the Way that leads into the kingdom of heaven. From this also he instructs us to separate those who believe in him from those who blaspheme the Son of God.
Acts 19:11-12 God performed not random miracles but through the hands of Paul; so that from his body they would bring handkerchiefs or aprons to the sick and be freed from their diseases, and the evil spirits would come out of them.
“ handkerchiefs or aprons .” I think both are linen-like; but the handkerchiefs are placed upon the head, while the aprons are held in the hands by those unable to wear handkerchiefs, such as those who wear secondary garments or sleaves to wipe away the moistures of the face, for example sweat, spittle, tears, and the like. [AMMONIUS]
Acts 19:13-17 Some of the roaming Jewish exorcists attempted to invoke over those who had evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, "We appeal you by Jesus whom Paul proclaims." Now there were seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish high priest, who were doing this. But the evil spirit answered and said, "Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?" And the man in whom the evil spirit was leapt upon them, subdued them, and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. This became known to all the Jews and Greeks dwelling in Ephesus, and fear fell upon them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified.
" Some of the roaming Jewish exorcists ." This statement shows that they did not, like exorcists believing in Jesus, adjure unclean spirits in the name of the Lord, but were testing them: wherefore also, since they were not faithful, as the evil spirit says, they shortly paid the penalty of their foolishness. For the spirit exposed them, and wholly exposed their deceit, moved by anger: as when one placed in extreme dangers is attacked by some enemy, and all wrath is poured out upon him.
Acts 19:18-31 Many of those who had believed came, confessing and proclaiming their deeds. And a number of those who practiced magical arts brought their books together and burned them publicly; and they counted up the value of them and found it came to fifty thousand pieces of silver. Therefore the word of the Lord grew and prevailed. But after these things were ended, Paul resolved in the Spirit to pass through Macedonia and Achaia and go to Jerusalem, saying, “After I have been there I must also see Rome.” And sending into Macedonia two of those who ministered to him, Timothy and Erastus, he himself stayed some time in Asia. Now about that season there arose a great disturbance concerning the Way. For a certain man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines for Artemis, brought no small profit to the craftsmen; whom he having gathered with the workers of like occupation, said, “Men, you know that from this craft we have our wealth; and you see and hear that not only in Ephesus but in almost all Asia this Paul has persuaded and turned away a considerable number, saying that they are no gods which are made with hands. And not only is this trade endangered, but the temple of the great goddess Artemis may be despised and her greatness may be brought to nothing, whom all Asia and the world worship.” When they heard this they were filled with anger and cried out, saying, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” And the whole city was filled with confusion; and having seized Gaius and Aristarchus, Macedonians, Paul’s companions in travel, they rushed with one accord into the theater. The disciples therefore would not allow Paul to enter into the theater; and some of the Asiarchs who were his friends sent to him and entreated him not to venture into the theater. But some cried one thing and some another; for the assembly was confused, and the majority did not know for what cause they had come together. And they drew Alexander out of the crowd, the Jews pushing him forward. And Alexander motioning with his hand would have made his defense to the people. But when they perceived that he was a Jew, a great outcry arose all together against both Paul and Alexander, and the assembly confused, cried out for about two hours, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”
“ confessing and proclaiming their deeds .” It is necessary for every faithful person to confess his own sins, and to turn away by reproving himself, so as no longer to do the same things, in order that he may be justified according to the saying: “You first confess your sins, so that you may be justified.” (James 5:16) It should also be noted in what follows that although their magical books were valuable, like the finest possessions of those who live in the world, those who believed in Christ did not sell them but burned them ; for, although there were others there who wished to acquire such books, first so that no one might share in the soul-destroying influence that comes from them, and secondly so that no one might obtain anything on account of such a cause. For just as gain from fornication was forbidden to be offered to God, so neither did the apostles judge it right or acceptable that the money from this source should be placed at their feet. [AMMONIUS]
Acts 19:32-40 Then the secretary quieted the crowd and said, "Men of Ephesus, for who is there among people who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is the caretaker of the great Artemis and of the image sent down from heaven? Since these things are indisputable, it is proper that you remain calm and do nothing rash. For you have brought these men neither as sacrilegious nor as blasphemers of our goddess. If then Demetrius and those craftsmen with him have any complaint against anyone, they are citizens and have recourse to the courts and to the magistrates; let them bring accusations against one another. But if you seek anything further, it will be settled in the lawful assembly. For even we are in danger of being accused of causing an uprising about what is happening today, without any one person being at fault, about which we will be able to give an account concerning this uproar. And having said these things he dismissed the assembly."
The scribe shows how great the superstition of the Ephesians was, both in adorning the temple of Artemis and in honoring her image , which they and the Diopetes said to be fallen from Zeus. For they all called that shell the Diopetes, sent from heaven by Zeus, either a fallen statue that had come down from the sky, or the Palladium, as the Greeks invented in order to astonish the more gullible, which they supposed to have been fashioned from above by Zeus and not by humans. [AMMONIUS]
The Diopetes, of the temple of Zeus, that is, the round-shaped one. Or it was likewise called another sanctuary among them. But instead of “temple-keeper” [Νεωκόρον] he says “temple-servant” [ἱερόδουλόν]; to “sweep” is the act of cleansing, from which also temple-keeper, the one who tends the temple, is so called, that is, he who sweeps the temple. [AMMONIUS]
" and have recourse to the courts and to the magistrates ." There was a class of judges in Asia called the magistrates, of humble status, who in some cases judged the poor and market-people; therefore they were called magistrates, just as there are public prosecutors in certain cities. The proconsuls, however, listened to cases concerning the rich or crimes. The term magistrates is also applied to advocates, from the word ἀγορεύειν, that is, “to speak publicly.” [AMMONIUS]